Operations in which wood and other material is shaped, drilled or cut by a power tool require the work piece to be precisely positioned relative to the power tool in order to achieve the desired results. For example, when a piece of wood is being cut by a table saw, the operator typically feeds the wood piece by hand through the saw blade along the axis of the desired cut to achieve as straight a cut as possible. This normally requires the aid of a "fence" or other alignment tool, which is oriented along the desired cut axis. The fence helps guide the wood piece through the saw blade when one edge of the wood piece is maintained in abutting relationship with the fence.